Amy Kathleen McShane

Amy Kathleen McShane, 49, of Dallas, TX passed away on January 31, 2023 from natural causes. Amy was preceded in death by her father Charles J. Lazzelle, and is survived by husband Michael McShane Jr, son Michael McShane III, mother Patricia, brother Charles, brothers-in-law John and Bryan, sisters-in-law Arhea, Teresa, and Pamela, parents-in-law Ron and Cheryl Hole, Michael McShane Sr and Susie Madere, nieces Claudia, Veronica, Emily, Sophia, Claire, and Victoria, a large, close-knit extended family on all sides, her pets, and the Baltimore Ravens.

Throughout their lives, Amy and her brother Chuck were very close. As kids, they would sneak out of bed for late night talks, but stay just inside the doorways of their rooms because she was a rule-follower. Amy was everyone’s person. She was the friend you called when anything happened, good or bad. We will all miss her empathy, advice, and laughter.

One of Amy’s oldest friends wrote “There is so much I could share about Amy, but at its most simple she was my emotional security blanket. Being with her always made me feel like I was home.” Everyone who ever spent any time with Amy personally or professionally had similar experiences.

Amy was a dedicated wife and mother who invested all of herself in supporting and caring for her family. Amy’s patience and nurturing was boundless. She loved reading, puzzles, the beach, hiking, nature, watching sports, her pets, beer, crabs, and football naps. She never felt the need to win or be “right,” but she usually was. She spoke to everyone with a smile on her face. She took immense pride in raising a happy, secure son who is universally-described as “kind.”

Her son Michael’s favorite memory is long walks and talks on the beach with Amy in Port Aransas, TX.

Amy graduated summa cum laude Randolph-Macon College in 1995 with a BA in Psychology and Spanish, then earned her Masters degree in Social Work from Washington University (St Louis, MO) in 1999.

A consummate social worker, teacher, clinical director, and North Texas Child Abuse Prevention leader, Amy spent her decades long career ensuring that children are protected from abuse and famlies can thrive. She was an integral leader at Family Compass, where she worked for 21 years drawing upon her previous experience in Baltimore in suicide prevention and foster care.

In the role of Clinical Director, she led the expansion of home mentoring programming from Dallas to Collin County, served on the Dallas County Child Death Review Committee and the National Exchange Club Research and Evaluation Committee.

Her impact on our community is immeasurable and will be long-lasting. She showed up in life and work with authenticity, selflessness, humor, and above all compassion. John O’Donohue said that “one of the deepest longings of the human soul is to be seen”. In every interaction, whether at work, in the community, at one of her three book clubs or at home, Amy ensured that each person felt seen. This rare and beautiful gift will be held in the hearts of her co-workers and loved ones in perpetuity.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Family-Compass in Amy's name to help those in abuse situations. https://family-compass.org/donate/individual-donors/